Nanopore-containing devices have been targeted for the development of new analytical methods. Nanopores may have the ability to detect single molecules, which may be promising technology in the field of chemical and biological detection. For example, nanopores may be used for diagnostics and nucleic acid sequencing. Solid state nanopore bio-sensing may be a rapid single molecule sensing technique. In some cases, solid state nanopores form a channel in an ionic liquid between two electrodes. The two electrodes may not be part of the nanopore itself but may be positioned in the ionic liquid. As a molecule passes though the nanopore channel, the current and other electrical characteristics through the channel change. These electrical characteristics can provide information on the molecule, but fabrication issues may make identifying individual nucleotides in a nucleic acid molecule difficult. Multiple nucleotides may be present in the aperture at the same time or may pass through the aperture quickly, which may not provide a strong enough signal for differentiating nucleotides.
Nanopore devices may be used with tunneling recognition. Tunneling recognition is based on placing a chemical entity between electrodes, which may be in the nanopore device itself. The orbitals of the chemical entity will allow electrons to transfer from one electrode to the other, creating a tunneling current. Dimensions and other properties of solid state nanopores may be difficult to adapt to a mass production process. To sequence nucleic acid molecules with ionic current, nanopore dimensions may need to be on the order of nanometers, which may be less than 2 nm. Creating a channel of this size may require precise and expensive techniques. However, reducing dimensions of the nanopore may result in incomplete or poor wetting needed for the nanopore to function as a sensing device. Improvements in the design and manufacturability of nanopore-containing devices used in chemical and biological detection and processes involving the devices are still needed. Design and manufacturability improvements should not come at the expense of accurate and precise analysis. These and other issues are addressed by the technology described in this document.